Capturing Your Heart
by WriteroftheWest
Summary: Capturing one's heart is extremely hard for Jack when there are many feelings and emotions that get in between him and Yusei. A change is made not by Jack but Yusei too as they deal with the present matter on hand. What will these two do to allow love in?
1. A Favor of You

Hey all! Note that this is my first time posting a 5D's story (as you can see). It took me a good chunk of time trying to think of an appropriate title for this fic (yea, I was _actually_ picky with choosing this story's title). A warning prior to the future chapters: this story might get a little OOC-ish. I'm trying my best to stay OC, but if the characters seem a little or too OOC, forgive me. Another warning before you read: Yusei is a **_girl_** throughout this entire story, so if you don't like it, I suggest you stop reading right now. I just thought that it might be fun giving female Yusei a spin in a fic. I'd like to hear what you guys think of her. Oh and, if you plan on giving a review with strong criticism, that's fine, I'm human and I will try to learn. If you plan on flaming, I'll just take it that it was the best fic you've ever read and you just can't wait for more.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the following 5D's characters in this fic. Credit goes to Kazuki Takahashi for creating a great new series (even though it's a spin off of a spin off of a good show (no offense)). What I do own is the plot to this story, the title, a new featured character in this fic, and that's pretty much it...

Featured pairing: Mild JackxYusei

Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 1- A Favor of You

It was the middle of the summer. Jack just happened to be in my favorite bar having a cold drink. He recognized some faces, most of which he has seen at the turbo duels. He recognized those of Yusei's friends Akiza and Luna. (It was a bar that you could drink if you were with an adult, but Akiza was the one who was having a beverage with alcohol.) He knew that if those two were at this bar, which means that Yusei would have to be in town.

"Did you hear?" Akiza said to her young friend.

"What?" Luna said sounding eager to know. "Did you see Yusei?" She was very quick with her question, since she was dieing to know where Yusei has been. She and her brother looked up to the duelist; Yusei was an idol to them.

Akiza giggled and smiled at the young, impatient, girl. "Just relax," She said as she patted the girl's shoulder. "Yes, I did see Yusei and we sat down at the ice cream parlor and talked,"

"Really? What did she say?" Luna asked eagerly with a grin on her face. There was one piece of news that she was just dyeing to know about.

Akiza smiled knowing what the girl was trying to get at. She answered happily:

"Yusei had her baby back at the satellite!"

"YES!" Luna exclaimed with a smile as she pumped a fist in the air.

"_Yusei was… pregnant all this time?"_ Jack thought in shock of this sudden news. He starred down in to my half empty cup. A shadow of guilt and regret overshadowed him… _"It's only been… four months since then… I still remember it like it was yesterday…"_

"_Four months ago, Yusei had won the Fortune Cup again, reigning champion for five years straight. After all the celebrations, I happened to stumble across her when she was attending to a lose panel on her D-Wheel, which I helped knock loose during the turbo duel. I simply congratulated her on her win for five years straight. Shortly after that, being the stuck up, jealous, jerk I was, I aggravated and harassed her. Yusei was so angry and annoyed by me, even though she didn't show it, she took off on her D-Wheel… I've never heard from her since…"_

"_After four long months to think of why Yusei wasn't around, guilt started to set in. And now, just hearing that she was pregnant at that time made me regret my actions and pushed the guilt further on me… I may not seem like it, but deep down inside… I really do have a heart…"_

"Is Yusei ok?" Luna inquired.

"Yusei is fine, the way she put it…" Akiza said as she took a sip from her drink.

"Why do you say it that way Aki?" Luna asked with a little worry to her voice.

"You would say that too if you saw the way Yusei looked," Akiza replied as she looked down at her drink. "She _was_ worn out… To say the least…"

"Aw, poor Yusei…" Luna said her big eyes full of sadness as she looked up at her friend. "If you see her again, tell her that if she needs some extra help, or a break from taking care of her baby, she can always visit me and Leo,"

"I'll make sure to relay that message to her, next time I see her," Akiza said with a smile.

"So, is it a boy or a girl?" Luna asked with her big bright smile as she jumped up and down in her seat.

Akiza smiled and giggled again. "Relax kid… I wasn't going to leave the best part out…"

Luna settled down in her seat and giggled softly.

"Yusei told me, and even let me hold, her two week old…baby girl!" Akiza whispered excitedly to the girl with a smile.

"What does she look like?" Luna asked with her big smile.

"Well, the baby is awfully cute; I'll give her that… But, she has blonde hair, a cute button nose, and big blue-eyes, like her mother's," Akiza said smiling as she described the child.

"_A baby girl…"_ I thought as I took a drink from my glass.

"Yusei told me that, yes, traveling has been taking a toll on her, now that she has a child to take care of…" Akiza said and sipped her drink.

"I would imagine…" Luna said as she looked down at the marble counter top.

"Get this," Akiza started to tell her young friend. "She told me, that after childbirth, she rested for only 24 hours and then she was back on her feet and gone with her child and D-Wheel. Yusei says that it's not easy for her to find food for her baby, and herself. And with the temperature dropping at night, it's hard to keep warm…"

Jack looked back down at what was left of his drink. He once knew the feeling of living the way Yusei did, only without a child. Keeping warm and finding food was a challenge in itself. He closed his eyes and finished up what was left of his drink before he would leave to head back home. As he did so, he tried to ignore the conversation, but he couldn't help but to overhear the next thing that was said…

"Yusei told me, when I was holding her young one, that the baby was sick with something she can't identify. It could possibly kill the baby if not treated in time…"

Jack almost choked on the liquid that was about to slide down his throat, but managed to swallow it, and coughed shortly after and cleared his throat. He was definitely shocked by what he had just heard and he was sure he didn't just dream it.

"Has she asked anyone for help?" Luna asked as she looked up at her older friend. She was clearly worried for the health of the mother and baby.

"No…" Akiza sighed. "I'm afraid not…"

"Poor Yusei…" Luna said expressing her deep empathy for her good friend.

"Yusei…" Jack whispered under his breath as he looked in to his now empty cup.

That conversation that he had over heard had stayed in the back of his mind and it never seemed to stop…

----

It was 4 pm the next day on the island of New Domino City. It was a calm and cool day with a high of 60 degrees and the low of 51 degrees.

Jack sat in his study, at his desk, reading a book he had started two days ago. The conversation at the bar that night had stayed in the back of his mind all through the night.

Coincidentally, the book that Jack was reading related to what he learned and heard about Yusei. It was also reflecting his previous actions right back at him.

He sighed an empty sigh as he set the book down and took off his thin rimmed glasses and placed his hands over his eyes. How was he supposed to know if Yusei was pregnant or not? He had noticed before hand that she _had_ gotten a little fatter, but was he supposed to ask her point blank if she was pregnant, before he harassed her?

"All I need is for Yusei to give me a second chance… to make up for my poor behavior…" Jack said to himself. He sat back in his chair and looked up at the crystal chandelier that hung from the ceiling in the middle of the room. "After all, we used to be really great friends in the past…"

Just as he sighed once more, there was a knock on the door. The door opened and in walked his butler Kemi.

"Master Atlas, there is someone here to see you." He informed.

"Who is it?" Jack asked as he leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table and interlaced his fingers in front of his mouth, like he would always do when he was thinking about something.

"A nice young lady by the name of Yusei Fudo, sir." Kemi said as he stood with his hands behind his back. "I do believe she is your dueling rival."

Jack immediately rose from his seat. "Did you let her in?" He asked.

"No sir,"

No less than a second later, Jack was already out of the room and down the hall. He quickly made his way down the marble staircase, across the granite floor and up to the door. He didn't waste a second to open it for the young lady. He said nothing, but invited her in.

"Atlas," Yusei said as she stepped in through the door, holding a bundle of torn up and holey cloths to her chest. "This may sound strange, don't ask why just yet, but I need to ask you for a favor…" She said as Jack shut the front door.

"Listen," The dark haired girl began as he took a few steps toward her. "I know that we've been enemies and rivals ever since that day when you took my Star Dust Dragon card. But, that's not the point I'm trying to get at…" She said as she took a step forward, still holding that bundle of cloths to her chest. "What I'm saying is that I need _your_ help…"

"To do what?" Jack asked, even though he already had a pretty good idea.

"I need you to help my daughter…" Yusei said softly as she cradled the bundle and pulled some of the cloth aside to reveal her two week old baby. "I'm pretty sure by now that you know about her…"

She felt as though Jack had hardly paid attention to what she had said. He seemed to be admiring the floor's shine.

"Listen Jack," Yusei said and shifted her weight to her left leg as Jack paid attention to her now. "I need you to understand that my daughter is _very_ sick and needs some medical attention, or she could die…" She looked down at the sleeping child in her arms and adjusted a little. You couldn't tell if the child is sick at first glance, but if you watched her long enough, she would show signs of discomfort.

She sighed sadly and looked up at the blonde haired young man. "Out of all the people I could have went to… I came to you Jack… If you don't approve of me staying here, I could just walk out right now."

"I'll comply…" Jack spoke up. Truly he could have said something better in a little friendlier tone.

He beckoned for the mother to follow him. He led her to his room; he went in search of something he was given recently.

The baby girl stirred in her mother's arms as Yusei gently patted the baby's back.

After a minute, or two, Jack found what he was looking for, it was a plastic, foldout, crib that his mother was planning to throw out but decided to give it to her only son and in return he would give her grandchildren. He unfolded it and then put the bottom of the crib in place. Once he was done, he stepped aside and allowed Yusei to place the baby in there.

As Yusei placed her child in the crib, she felt a little more intimidated by Jack, more than usual… Something about him was _completely _off. Or, maybe, it was just her. After all, she wasn't used to him or being around him for very long, but she might as well start to, somewhat, "warm up" to him. If she didn't warm up to him soon, her daughter's recovery could be her misery…

* * *

So how do you like the idea of female Yusei? I would love to hear feed back on it in your reviews.


	2. Mixed Signals

Wow, I didn't think I would get so many people interested! Thanks for the feed back! I hope to capture more people's interests as this story progresses.

Warning: this chapter may be a little OOC I tried to stay OC, but if it _is_ OOC, please forgive me. I'll go back and fix it.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the following 5D's characters in this fic. Credit goes to Kazuki Takahashi for creating a great new series (even though it's a spin off of a spin off of a good show (no offense)). What I do own is the plot to this story, the title, a new featured character in this fic, and that's pretty much it...

Featured pairing: Mild JackxYusei

Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 2- Mixed Signals

Yusei sighed as she straightened up from giving her child a kiss on her warm forehead. She looked from the infant to Jack. Like times before, it seemed like he was starring right through her, not even giving a care if she was there or not.

She nervously placed a hand on her arm as she moved her blue-eyes back down at her child. For once in her life, she actually felt uncomfortable around Jack.

"_Maybe I made a mistake by asking for his help…"_ Yusei thought as the infant moved a little and started to show signs of discomfort and pain. All she could really do was give the baby her pacifier and think of someway to ease her child's pain.

Yusei reached in to her pants pocket and took out the baby girl's rough looking pacifier and gave it to the kid, hoping that Jack would really understand how serious this situation really was.

"Yusei," Jack spoke up.

She looked up to see the boy standing right next to her. She noticed that his attitude was taking a clearly different route.

"Are you… hungry by any chance?"

Yusei was in a state of mild shock. _"Wow… an offer,"_ She thought.

"Uh… yes! Yes I am," She said a little softer. She really felt like an idiot talking to a person with such a high stature in life. She usually didn't feel like this, but right now was an exception.

Yusei glanced over at her sleeping child, and then she remembered something important. "Um… can my daughter get something to eat? Possibly warm formula in a baby bottle?"

"I can try to provide," Jack said as he walked over to the open door way and leaned against the frame.

"_Those words are the words I want to hear come from him more and more if I decide to stay here with him…" _Yusei thought as she scooped her child in to her strong arms.

Jack led the way to the kitchen down stairs. It was about that time he would go looking for a meal. He hasn't hired any personal cooks because he believes that it's just a waste of good money. It was cheaper just to put together something on his own.

"_This isn't going as well as I thought it would be…" _She thought as she took one step at a time down the staircase. She held her child close to herself. _"All I really want is for Jack to fully understand my situation and if he helps me take care of it, I'll never bother him again…"_

In the kitchen Yusei found herself a seat at the table as she cradled her child and watched as Jack scavenged for something to make. He opened various cupboards searching for something easy to prepare.

"_Even though he has his back turned to me, I still can't help but to feel invisible to him…"_ Yusei thought as she took her brown gloves off and removed her blue jacket and continued to hold her baby girl.

She looked up at the still scavenging blonde. "Would you like some help Jack?"

Jack gave a sigh, giving up on trying to find something. He started to think of something he could make from scratch and where he put his mother's recipes.

"I know a thing or two about cooking," Yusei said as she stood up and walked up to Jack. "I could help you decide on something."

"Thanks for the offer, but I have something in mind." Jack said as he went to gather the ingredients.

"Ok…" Yusei said under her breath. "Sorry I ever offered my services to you…" She wandered off to where the cupboards adorned the wall. She started to carefully look through each cupboard for a bottle of some sort.

Several minutes passed as the two formal friends worked in the kitchen. Jack had gotten to work on providing the food while Yusei miraculously found a baby bottle. She opened the door to the refrigerator to find skim milk. It wasn't the best choice, but it would have to do, so she filled up the bottle, after she rinsed it off, and screwed the top on and began to feed her child as she sat at the table.

"So what are you making?" Yusei asked as Jack took a seat to her left.

"You'll see…" Jack said. He watched as the young, single, mother feed her fatherless and sick child. "Where did you find the bottle?" He asked. He was surprised that he even _had_ one around.

"In the cupboard…" Yusei said as she pointed to the cupboard she found it in.

The two sat in silence as Yusei fed her child what was left in the bottle.

"So, how did this happen?" Jack asked, attempting to start a conversation.

"What?" Yusei asked as she looked up at the rich young man. "How did I end up with a baby?"

Jack nodded. He was just itching to know how Yusei ended up pregnant in the first place.

"I don't know…" Yusei said as she looked down at her now sleeping child. "I just woke up one morning feeling sick to my stomach and the next thing I knew; I was a little fatter than usual…"

She didn't really feel comfortable talking about her pregnancy; it was just as a mystery to her as it was to anyone else who knew her. She especially didn't like talking about it with Jack.

"Dose she have a name?" The blonde haired young man asked the mother of the child.

"Well, I didn't exactly name her when she was developing or when she was born… I never really thought she would make it to this day…" Yusei said as she held the child closer to herself. "I think her name should be Maryl…" She gave the baby girl a kiss on her cheek.

Jack stood up to attend to the stove.

"_I don't know if anyone in my family history has had blonde hair…"_ Yusei thought as she stroked the baby's soft hair. _"We do now, that's for sure…"_

She hadn't realized it before, but she was really tired herself. She knew that she had to eat something other wise she won't sleep very well.

"It's almost ready Yusei," Jack said as he glanced over his shoulder at the blue-eyed girl.

"Alright, but I'm going to put Maryl back in the crib," Yusei said as she stood up and headed out to the staircase.

"_I wonder if Jack even cares for my problems…"_ She thought as she reached the top of the steps. _"Honestly…he frightens me…and he doesn't seem to care, I don't feel welcome to stay here, and I'm scared to be near him…"_

Yusei entered Jack's room and laid the baby back in the plastic crib. She gave the little girl a stroke of the hair and a kiss on her right cheek.

"_Oh, what am I saying?" _She thought as she stood up and sighed. _"I've only been here 45 minutes. We both just need some time to warm up to each other…"_ She covered her child with a spare pillow case; it would have to do until something better comes around. _"But if we don't get along in the next few days, I just might have to leave…"_

Yusei sighed as she descended the stairway again and continued to the kitchen.

"It's about time you got back…" Jack said once Yusei entered the kitchen, her eyes fixed on the floor tiles.

"Sorry…" She mumbled, not picking up her eyes. There was no particular need for her to say she was sorry.

Yusei looked up with her tired blue-eyes, expecting to see the icy cold stare Jack would usually give anyone when he was angered. But, that's not quite what she saw. Jack had pulled out a chair for her to take a seat and have the well prepared homemade meal of what appeared to be spaghetti; it was a decent amount on the plate as well.

It was surprising to see this side of Jack, mainly because he's been so quiet and mysterious. Maybe that was just his way of letting a guest get comfortable, especially a guest who was going to stay for awhile.

Yusei accepted the seat at the table and picked up the fork and proceeded to eat calmly, despite how hungry and tired she was.

The rest of the meal was eaten in silence. In fact, the old friends didn't say much at all the rest of the night.

Yusei ate her first true homemade meal in a long time, took a shower after words, put on a spaghetti strapped white nightgown over short white shorts, and took Jack up on his offer to give her the right side of his bed to sleep on.

It felt good… Once Yusei's head hit the soft fluffy pillow, the real relaxation began as she pulled the warm covers over herself. Everything seemed to relax. Pretty soon she was fast asleep in a deep, deep, sleep which was very well deserved.

"Well," Jack said to himself as he sat down at his desk in his study. "This day could have gone better…" He pulled out his book that he was reading earlier and picked up his thin rimmed glasses. "Yusei seemed to be… afraid… It's so unlike her…"

He sighed as he settled in to his chair. He was finally coming to his senses about his first impression on Yusei and how it could have affected her in anyway.

"Maybe I wasn't being as hospitable as I needed to be…" Jack said a little softer. "Things have changed with the two of us. Yusei isn't that quiet 18 year old girl who's looking for a good duel; she's now a 21 year old young woman looking for a good friend to help her with her child…"

"Why am I so _bad_ at showing hospitality? Nonetheless, brining up the feeling of that old friendship between us..."

He pushed that thought aside and put his glasses on and picked up his book and read until he felt tired, after all it was only 9:41pm, he wouldn't normally feel tired until 11:50pm, so he had a good chunk of time to blow off by reading.

-

The time flew by fast, Jack was so caught up in his book that he didn't realize that it was already 12:00am. He finally put his book down after realizing how tired he really felt. He placed his glasses next to the book and stood up to turn off the desk lamp and the overhead light. He quietly shut the door to his study, that's when his ears were met by the cries from Yusei's baby.

Jack smiled lightly, he had almost forgotten that Yusei was here and sleeping in his bed. At least he had the couch downstairs, but first he might as well see that the child was taken care of before he headed to bed.

When he slowly opened the door to his room, he saw that the upset child was being held by the very tired Yusei.

"Need any help?" Jack asked as he walked in to the room.

"Not really," Yusei said and looked from her daughter to Jack. "She's just a little uncomfortable right now. She's not used to being sick and sleeping without mommy holding her. Truth is… I can't sleep without knowing how my baby is doing."

Jack smiled. Of course! How could he forget about her child being sick?

He placed a hand on Yusei's bare shoulder. "I'll make sure I get a doctor to check her out and make sure she's not sick with something severe, ok?"

Yusei nodded tiredly noticing that Jack has finally come to his senses and will actually help her daughter.

She looked up at her formal friend with her tired blue-eyes.

"Thanks Jack…"

* * *

I bet your wondering about the pronunciation of Yusei's child's name. It's spelled Maryl and pronounced _Mar-el_. I hope that helped.

I'd love to hear your feed back on this chapter, but remember: if you plan on giving a review with strong criticism, that's fine, I'm human and I will try to learn. If you plan on flaming, I'll laugh and take it that it was the best fic you've ever read and you just can't wait for more.

Thanks for reading, I hope to have the next chapter up very soon.


	3. A Soft Spot

Big thanks to you guys who reviewed, I really appreciate it. And sorry for the delay in updating I admit that I hit a mini writers block with writing this chapter, but now I'm over it and I'm working on the next chapter. Hopefully I'll have it up soon. Well here's the new chapter you guys have been waiting for.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the following 5D's characters in this fic. Credit goes to Kazuki Takahashi for creating a great new series (even though it's a spin off of a spin off of a good show (no offense)). What I do own is the plot to this story, the title, a new featured character in this fic, and that's pretty much it...

Featured pairing: Mild JackxYusei and some fluff.

Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 3- A Soft Spot

Once Yusei laid down to sleep again, she couldn't help but to think of what Jack had said.

"_It seems like I've waited an eternity for Jack to come to his senses…" _She thought as she laid on the bed with her eyes closed.

She sighed, knowing that somewhere along the line her child will be free from all the pain and suffering. With a light smile and a mental thanks to her old friend, Yusei drifted back to sleep.

Jack made himself comfortable on the couch in the living room next to the biggest window in the house that looked out towards the pool outside. He sighed as she looked out the window to see one bright star stick out against the dark and starry sky.

"Things are changing between us, and are going to continue to change…" He said softly and closed his eyes with a light smile resting on his lips.

Soon, he too, drifted off in to a deep sleep…

- - -

The morning seemed to come quickly.

Yusei groaned as the morning sunlight crept up on to her face. She covered her face, put the pillow over her head and continued to sleep some more on the ever so soft mattress.

The female duelist didn't wake up until Jack had forced her to wake up, somewhere around late 1:00 early 2:00pm.

"Yusei," Jack whispered as he shook her shoulder trying not to rouse her so much.

The sleepy girl groaned a tired "hm?"

"Its 2pm Yusei," Jack said as Yusei sat up allowing the covers to fall from her head as she yawned. "I wanted to know if you might want some lunch."

"Sure," The young woman said as she rubbed her tired eyes. She threw the covers aside and stood up on her feet, though she felt weird wearing different clothes than usual. But in a way, they felt nice on a warm summer's day.

Yusei went to go check up on her daughter who had her big blue-eyes open, but wasn't cooing like a baby would be. She was and had always been a quiet baby and appeared to be well rested but hungry. She was picked up by her mother and cradled in her warm and loving arms.

"Yusei," Jack said as he followed the girl out of his bedroom. "You'll be happy to know that I made an appointment for you daughter to be checked out."

"What time?" Yusei asked as she descended down the stairs with the blonde duelist following her lead.

"2 in the afternoon tomorrow," Jack answered simply as he reached the bottom of the stairs.

"I don't know if I'll be awake by then…" Yusei said as she entered the kitchen.

"Guess I'll have to wake you up again," Jack said crossing his arms with a light smile as he leaned against the doorway as he watched the girl feed her child.

He walked in to the kitchen and dug in the fridge for something that Yusei could eat, sine he already had a sandwich at 12. He knew that Yusei was never really picky when it came to food, she would practically eat anything.

Yusei finished feeding her child and placed the empty bottle on the tabletop and just held and patted the baby girl's back as she started to make slight cooing sounds as a sign of being happy. It seemed to be the first time in a long time that baby Maryl has cooed happily. It was a relieving sign for Yusei.

"Hey Jack," She said as she looked up at the duelist as he prepared her lunch. "Have you ever held a baby before?" She was curious as to what his answer might be.

The boy glanced over his shoulder for a moment as he thought about the possible answer to Yusei's question.

"No," He finally said as he finished preparing the girl's lunch.

"Well, I was wondering if you would like to hold mine," Yusei said as she looked up at the blond boy who placed a plate with her lunch on it in front of her.

She stood up, her blue-eyes were wide and full of happiness… not joy… not excitement… just happiness. A light smile came to her lips, it seems as though her comfort level around Jack has gone up since the previous day.

"Would you?" Yusei asked.

Jack was slightly shocked by how Yusei was acting. He looked down at the blonde girl with those big blue-eyes of her mother's. He looked up at the champion duelist coming to a conclusion with himself.

"Alright," He said. He just had to smile a little because the child was so small and so innocent.

"Alright," Yusei said and carefully handed the child over to Jack. "Make sure you support her head, and don't jostle her too much."

Jack hadn't thought about how uncomfortable he would be embracing an infant that wasn't his. He made sure he was careful as he went to sit down and got used to the child.

Yusei smiled as she knew that things were going well, for the most part. She sat back down and ate her well prepared meal as she watched Jack warm up to the tiny, fragile, child he cradled in his strong arms.

After awhile of being held, baby Maryl started to coo again, only her cooing seemed to sound a little confused.

"_How can something so small and fragile grow to be something so big and so strong?" _ Jack thought as the little girl got a sudden interest in the necklace he wore. _"It feels as though I have known this adorable little girl ever since she arrived on this planet…"_ He gently stroked the girl's soft, chubby, cheeks with his index finger.

By natural instincts, the baby wanted to get Jack's finger in her mouth and suck on it. That's exactly what the young child did. Looking up at him with her big, innocent, blue-eyes, she found a certain pleasure in sucking on the blonde duelist's finger.

"She likes you," Yusei said from across the table. She smiled as Jack looked up at her with a light smile. "That's pretty surprising…" She added.

The two week old let out a cute little yawn giving Jack the chance to take his finger out of the girl's mouth. Baby Maryl seized the chance to snuggle close to Jack's chest and fall asleep, knowing that he could be trusted.

"I guess it's nap time," Yusei said. She just had to smile at how cute this picture looked, her formal best friend holding her sleeping two week old. "Want me to take her back and put her in the crib?"

As much as Jack didn't want to give up the adorable kid, he did. He stood up and carefully handed the child back to her mother.

"She's a heavy sleeper, just like her ma," Yusei said with a smile before she turned and headed out of the kitchen.

Once Yusei was out of the room, the old puzzling question came back. How did Yusei's pregnancy happen? But most importantly, would she accept Jack's apology for his poor behavior those many months ago? Maybe, just maybe, if Jack got her to trust him, as easily as he got her child to trust him, she would possibly tell him the whole story… But what are the odds of that happening?

In the midst of the silence that spread throughout the entire house, the door bell rang and seemed to echo within the silence. Jack was a little puzzled as he went to open the front door. To his surprise, when he opened the door, there stood Yusei's good friend Akiza.

Without saying so much as a "hi" the red haired girl took a step inside the mansion and went right to the subject.

"I saw Yusei's duel runner outside and I just wanted to know if she was with you," Akiza said, a little nervousness was hinted in her voice.

Jack was about to answer the girl's question when Yusei appeared behind him.

"Yusei!" Akiza exclaimed with a smile as she walked up to the female duelist.

Yusei smiled as she was hugged by her closest friend.

"It's good to see you again," Akiza said once she stopped hugging her dark haired friend. "How's your baby doing?"

"Better than days before," Yusei simply answered.

"Still sick?" Akiza asked even though she might know the answer.

Yusei gave a nod. "Jack was kind enough to get an appointment with a doctor tomorrow to have Maryl checked out."

That news was kind of a shocker to Akiza. But she decided not to show it.

"Aw, well that's very nice of him," The red haired duelist said with her sweet smile as she looked back at the blonde haired boy who just stood there beside the door.

Jack gave a light smile at Akiza's acknowledgment. But the kindness that the girl expressed through her words felt more like sarcasm to him. Akiza didn't really like Jack that much in the first place, mainly because of how he had treated poor pregnant Yusei all those many months ago…

Jack felt like he needed to get away from Akiza. She has always been a mysterious type of person and would never let a grudge go. He walked over to Yusei's side as the two girls talked.

"I was wondering if you would like to come with me and Luna and Leo to the mall," Akiza said to the dark haired girl who looked a little skeptical.

"I don't know…" Yusei said as she let her eyes wander as she thought. She didn't really want to leave her child here while she went out and had fun; she still wasn't used to being away from her child this long without knowing how she was doing.

"I could watch Maryl for you," Jack spoke up as both of the girls looked over at him with a surprised and shocked look. He had gotten used to the child as he held her when Yusei ate her lunch.

With a little more thought and consideration, Yusei came to a conclusion with herself.

"Alright, I'll go with you Aki," She said with a smile. "But, I'd like to get dressed first." She said with a sheepish smile as she just realized her skimpy cloths.

"I'll be out in my car then," Akiza said as she headed out the door of Jack's mansion.

Yusei went to go get changed in to something that felt comfortable while her regular outfit was getting a thorough washing. Out of the selection of shirts and pants, she settled with a nice light blue shirt with sleeves that came up to her elbows and a pair of black flare cuff jeans and a pair of black sandals.

After she was done dressing, she stopped by Jack's study to announce that she was leaving.

"Jack, I'm leaving now," She said as she slowly opened the door to his study to see him sitting behind his desk reading his book. He looked up at her and took his glasses off as she approached her. "Thanks for watching Maryl for me." She said and smiled at her formal friend.

Jack returned the girl's smile. "Any time,"

Yusei reached out and placed her hand on top of his, which was resting on the cover of his book, to show that she actually meant what she said.

At the moment, Jack was reminded of something he wanted to give the young mother. He took his hand back and opened up a drawer in his desk and took out his wallet.

"Here," He said as he took out his credit card and offered it to the girl from the satellite. "Go buy you and your baby something nice."

Yusei was a little hesitant as she reached out to accept the boy's offer.

"Thanks Jack…"

Jack just simply smiled at her and put his wallet back and shut the drawer.

"I guess I should be going then," Yusei said as a nervous smile came to her lips. She turned around and walked out of the room. "I'll be back around five." She said before she shut the door behind herself.

She breathed a sigh of relief. The atmosphere in that room seemed to change with in the last minute she was in there. It was kind of a scary feeling when she realized it.

Yusei started down the hallway to the staircase.

"Maybe Jack has truly changed…" She thought aloud to herself as she took one step at a time.

* * *

It has come to my attention that Jack is better off being left OOC in this story, but not too much. I guess it would make since after all... I'd love to hear your guys' opinion about this in your reviews. I hope to have the next chapter up soon, so keep the reviews coming!


	4. Babysitting

Chapter 4- Babysitting

"All set?" Akiza asked her dark haired friend once she got settled in to the front passenger seat.

Yusei gave a silent nod and reached back to grab the seatbelt as her red haired friend started the engine of the red mustang, she was borrowing from her parents for the day, and drove away. She wasn't used to wearing a seatbelt so it was uncomfortable to her at first, but she got used to it as the minutes passed.

"So Yusei," Leo started with his cheerful grin from the back seat. "What booster pack do you think we should get?"

"Leo…" Luna said with an annoyed tone in her voice as she sat on the other side of the seat.

Yusei giggled at the randomness of the boy's question. "I was actually thinking about getting the latest pack. It's said to have some rare cards that could be worth a lot in the future."

As the minutes passed, the Satellite duelist seemed to let go of her worries and enjoyed being with her friends.

-

"_How hard could it be?" _Jack thought as he approached Yusei's child who lay awake in the crib. _"She's just a little girl… All I need to do is feed her…that's all…"_

The blonde bent over and picked up the small child and cradled her in his arm. Maryl seemed to be happy to see the duelist again. She cooed happily as Jack took a seat at the foot of his bed. Nothing seemed to be bothering her…

The baby found it amusing to play with Jack's necklace. The blonde duelist gave a smile as he watched the little girl play with his necklace and giggle with excitement. Maybe Maryl wasn't sick after all…but she still needed a checkup to see if she was healthy.

Jack took his necklace back as soon as he saw that Maryl wanted to stick it in her mouth and suck on it. She seemed to get pouty but a moment later she found something else to suck on…his finger.

"_This may be my one chance to prove to Yusei that I'm no longer that stuck up jerk I used to be…"_ Jack thought as he let the little blonde girl continue to happily suck on his finger. _"And maybe, just maybe, she'll open up to me a little more…"_

Maryl stopped sucking on his finger a moment later. She cooed for a bit but stopped a little bit before she sneezed cutely, a surprised look came to the baby's face. She looked up at the man who held her wondering what just happened.

Jack smiled and chuckled lightly, he had to admit that was cute.

Baby Maryl caught sight of Jack's long strand of blonde hair and was curios about it. She fiddled around with the strand of hair, keep her entertained for awhile.

Jack thought that if he put Maryl's pacifier in her mouth, it would prevent her from sucking on anything else. He stood up and walked over to the nightstand where Yusei had last left the pacifier and picked it up. The object looked like it had its fair share of use over there in the Satellite. Who knows how sanitary it really is…

It wouldn't hurt to give it a washing…

He brought the small child with him to the kitchen where he gave the pacifier a good washing before he stuck it in the baby's mouth.

Maryl seemed to be much happier once she had something to suck on.

"_Now…What do you do with a baby girl?"_ Jack thought as the little girl starred up at him with her big blue-eyes.

-

The mall was miserably busy…

But that didn't stop Yusei from doing her shopping for her baby, and then some for herself.

"It must be fun being a mother," Akiza said as she walked up next to Yusei who was having a hard time trying to decide on something for her baby. "You get to shop for new cloths and stuff."

"It's not just the shopping, Akiza," Yusei said, she made up her mind and added another item to her basket. She looked over at her red haired friend. "It's mostly taking care of the child and watching them grow up, knowing that it was _you _who raised that child."

"Well, that too," The female duelist said.

"So where are the twins?" Yusei asked as she headed for the checkout.

"Oh, they're in the card shop just across the food court," Akiza said.

"Blowing their allowances'?" The dark haired woman said with an amused smile.

"Pretty much," Her friend responded and smiled.

Yusei paid with Jack's credit card that he had given her.

"Say, where'd you get that credit card, Yus?" Akiza asked as the two made it across the food court to the card shop.

"Jack gave it to me," Yusei said. "He told me I should buy something nice for Maryl and me."

"Wow," Akiza said with a surprised tone in her voice.

"Oh come on Aki, give him a break. You may think that he's a monster, but deep down, he really does have a heart. He just doesn't know how to properly show his true feelings," Yusei said taking a stand for her old friend.

"Don't be fooled, Yusei…" Akiza warned her friend. "Who knows, maybe he could just be putting on an act or something…"

Yusei sighed and rolled her eyes. Akiza was one to never let a grudge go, minus the grudge against her parents all those years ago.

"Yusei, Yusei!" Leo's excited voice said as he ran up to the older duelist with his sister following him. "Check 'em out!" He fanned out his new cards and showed them off. "All limited addition too!"

"Wow, great catch Leo," Yusei congratulated the 14-year-old with a smile. "Hey, this one looks rare." She pulled out a card from his display to look at it.

"When I get home, I'm gonna look these cards up on the internet to see if any of them are worth something," The green haired teen said smiling energetically.

Yusei handed the card back to him as he put them in his pocket for later.

"Unlike Leo here, I'm saving my allowance for something worthwhile," Luna said.

"What?! Duel monsters cards are so worthwhile!?!" Leo exclaimed defensively.

Yusei giggled as the two bickered, just like when she, Jack, and Crow were kids. The two boys would bicker about something and she'd just sit there and giggle at their comebacks and insults they would throw at each other.

"Alright you two," Akiza said getting a little annoyed by their sibling rivalry.

The twins stopped bickering.

"I think we should get going," Yusei said to the other three. "I told Jack I'd be back by five."

"Can we eat first? I'm starving," Leo said as his stomach growled.

"I'm kind of hungry too," Luna said.

"What do you say we have some dinner here before we go?" Aki said to the dark haired woman.

"Alright," Yusei said with a smile. She was getting hungry herself.

The group of friends made their way to their favorite place to eat in the mall and settled down with a good meal.

-

[5:03PM]

Yusei closed the front door of the mansion. As usual, the place was quiet. But she could hear what sounded to be the TV and it was coming from the living room.

"Jack, I'm back," She said as she entered through the archway only to see the blonde laying on the couch, asleep, with Maryl lying on his chest, asleep as well.

She smiled softly. She walked up to where the remote was and picked it up and turned off the widescreen TV. She then gently shook Jack's shoulder in an attempt to wake the sleeping duelist. It didn't take much to wake him up though.

Jack opened his violet-eyes with a far off look in them still. He blinked a few times before he realized Yusei was there.

"Looks like you guys wore each other out," She said softly with a smile as he sat up holding the sleeping child in his arms.

"It didn't take much to entertain her," Jack said.

"Thanks for watching Maryl for me," Yusei said with a smile. "Do you want me to take over now?"

"No, I'm fine," Jack said as he adjusted a little. "What's in the bag?" He asked after finally realizing it.

"Oh, just some clothing, some blankets, and a new pacifier," Yusei said as she shuffled around the contents in the bag.

"Did you buy anything for yourself?" Jack asked.

"A few things, but not a whole lot…" Yusei said as she put the bag on the floor next to the couch. She reached into her pocket. "Here, you might want this back." She held out his credit card to him.

Jack took it and slipped it into his inner coat pocket.

"I've already eaten, so there's no need to make such a big meal," Yusei said as she looked over at her little girl.

Maryl started to stir in Jack's arms. She yawned cutely before she opened her big blue-eyes; a smile came to her face once she saw Jack.

"You want to feed her?" Jack asked Yusei as he offered her Maryl back. "I'm going to go make me something to eat."

The dark haired woman accepted her child back with a smile. She stood up and followed the blonde out of the room and to the kitchen. She sat at the table and fed the blonde little girl her bottle.

"Pretty soon we'll be moving on to baby food, Maryl," Yusei said as she talked to her infant as she continued to feed her.

The rest of the evening passed smoothly…

Yusei gave baby Maryl a bath and then put her in a pair of footy pajamas she had bought and washed and put her to sleep in her crib. After that, she took a hot and refreshing shower.

Meanwhile, Jack sat in his study reading his book quietly. He didn't mind babysitting Maryl for Yusei. And He would do it again if he had to…

* * *

_A/N:_ Wow, it's been four months since my last update. ^^; Sorry about that. I sort of ran into a writer's block with this chapter. But, you guys will be happy to hear that I am no longer in a block with this story and I've been working on this story for about three days now.

I hope you guys liked this chapter. There's plenty more of where this one came from. ^^ No rly, there is...

Any type of review is welcome. =]

~AC2


	5. Midnight Talk

Chapter 5- Midnight Talk

[11:57PM]

Yusei was alone by the poolside. She was knelt down peering over the edge at her reflection in the calm water as the lights under the water illuminated the whole pool.

Jack stood in the doorway of the glass door that lead out to the pool. He watched the dark haired duelist with his violet colored eyes. He wanted to be out there with her, but he decided that she needed a moment to herself, so he watched her from afar.

Yusei wore a white oversized, long sleeved, button up shirt and a pair of pale blue shorts, which the shirt covered up most of the time. The top couple of buttons were left unbuttoned, as a result the shirt would fall off her shoulders, exposing her tan and soft skin.

"Is that really me?" She asked herself as she starred at her reflection in the water. She could hardly believe that the beautiful person she was looking at…was actually herself.

She looked nothing like she did before… She could actually see the natural rosy color of her cheeks, how long and dark her eyelashes were, and how her lips were a natural pink color. She was so used to seeing herself dirtied; from all the maintenance she did to keep her D-Wheel in good shape and not having access to running water.

Yusei was so captivated by the image she saw, she reached out her hand but was only met by a wet surface which disturbed the stillness of the water causing her reflection to disappear.

"It…_is _me…" She whispered to herself in shock as she pulled her hand away from the water.

Her reflection returned as soon as the water calmed a second later.

"I'm…beautiful…"

Yusei thought that she would never hear herself say those words when she saw her reflection.

A lone tear ran down her right cheek, a dark line staining the cheek of the person she saw…her cheek…

She was so lost in her thoughts; she was startled when she felt a hand get placed on her back. She looked over to her right to see that it was only Jack.

"What are you doing up so late?" He asked.

"I couldn't sleep…" She said as she averted her blue-eyes back down to the water.

"Is something bothering you?" Jack asked as he took his hand back.

Yusei closed her eyes, placing her hands on the concrete that surrounded the pool. The shirt slowly slid off of her small shoulders.

"No…" She said after a minute of silence. She opened her eyes and stood up, making her way to the door.

"Yusei," Jack said as he quickly reached out and took hold of her wrist. He stood up, pulling her closer to himself. "Don't just leave me hanging. I know there's something bothering you and I want to know what it is." He placed his hands on her sides with her placing her hands on his forearms.

Yusei looked away from him, towards the calm surface of the pool.

"What is it that you don't want to tell me?" Jack asked gently, trying to be sensitive to how she may be feeling.

Yusei knew that she was stuck no matter what. She found no reason to make up a lie.

"I guess its time you knew the real truth behind my pregnancy with Maryl…" She said softly.

"Let's go inside and talk," Jack said gently as he let her go and escorted her to the living room.

The two got comfortable on the couch and just the illumination of the moon through the window was a good enough light source for them.

"I don't know how it happened," Yusei said as she had her tired head resting against Jack's chest as he had his left arm wrapped around her, listening to what she had to say. "When Dr. Schmidt did an ultra sound on my swollen stomach, that's when I found out that I was truly pregnant. I was filled with joy and terror at the same time. I was happy that I was expecting a child of my own, but terrified because I didn't know how I ended up pregnant. But, no matter what, I was willing to keep what God had bestowed upon me. I nurtured the unborn child and tried to not do anything strenuous that would cause the baby stress…"

"What about that turbo duel four months ago? Wouldn't that be considered strenuous?" Jack asked.

"Ok, I admit that I did break the doctor's orders and turbo dueled, but that was only because I wanted to remain champion… A lot of good it's done me…" Yusei said closing her eyes.

"Listen, Yusei," Jack started. "I'm sorry for my poor and immature behavior and I'm sorry for harassing you the way I did…I'm really sorry if I hurt you in any way… I didn't know you were pregnant… Do you forgive your old friend after all these months?"

"Sometimes you can be a big sore loser," Yusei said with a smile and a chuckle. "But most of the time you can be a caring guy. You're still my friend, so I forgive you."

Jack closed his violet-eyes and smiled lightly and placed his left hand on her left shoulder.

Silence set in for a moment or two…

"So, where was Maryl born?" The blonde man asked needing to hear the rest of Yusei's story.

"Well," Yusei said softly. "You see, I was Trudge's favorite person to catch. He always told me how he would bring me to the Facility and have me put in lockdown. I guess once he knew I was pregnant, he found it to be an advantage because I was so vulnerable when I was alone. The night of my due date, I was on my D-Wheel trying to make it to Martha's because the baby was kicking and my gut was telling me that she was going to come soon. Trudge was soon on my tail, and to cut a long story short, he had me hauled to the Facility and thrown in to lockdown, for no reason. But not soon after, my water broke and I started to have contractions. My bloodcurdling screams of pain were enough to have me taken out of Facility and rushed to the hospital where I delivered Maryl at 2:21AM. 5 pounds, 7 ounces…"

Silence filled the room once more as the tired adults enjoyed each other's company, for the time being.

The two felt a satisfying peace within themselves. No more secrets. No more regrets…

Yusei, for once, felt a sense of security in Jack's strong arms, just like Maryl did. And for once, Jack felt good about himself. He knew that he was forgiven and that he had a second chance to mend and make things better between him and Yusei.

"_A second chance…"_ Jack thought as he opened his tired violet-eyes, staring into nothingness. _"That's all we need…"_

"Jack…?" Yusei said softly and tiredly.

"Hm?" He responded as he slowly and gently rubbed her bare shoulder.

"What if we found out that _you_ are actually Maryl's father?" She asked. She opened her blue-eyes and looked up at the blonde.

"Then I would do everything it takes to make sure she grows up to be a happy young woman," Jack said. "For one, I don't ever want any of my children to suffer what I- er -we went through in childhood…" A smile came to his lips. "And I would thank God for having chosen me to be the father of such an adorable child and the husband to beautiful wife…" He pulled the dark haired woman closer to himself.

"It would beat living a long and lonely life, wouldn't it?" Yusei asked as she placed her left hand on his chest.

Jack gave a nod. He would choose family over anything. But there was that slim chance that he wouldn't be Maryl's father. So who would it be and how would they have gotten Yusei pregnant in the first place, without her even knowing?

That was a thought for another day…

What mattered was that the two had come to terms with each other. But there was a possibility that there could be something more between them.

Yusei yawned and checked the clock that hung on the wall in the dimly lit room.

"12:25…" She said. "Time for bed, I guess…"

She stood up from Jack's side and stretched her stiff bones.

Yusei turned to him as he sat on the couch. The moonlight seemed to highlight all of her features; the golden-yellow highlights in her hair dimly glowed and her sea blue-eyes seemed to sparkle as she smiled softly with her pink lips.

"You look like your waiting for something…" Jack said with a light playful smile.

Yusei played innocence and nodded shyly.

"Alright," Jack said as he stood up from the couch. "What is it you want?"

"Um…A hug?" Yusei said. "You look like you need one."

He chuckled lightly and smiled at her. "Fine."

Yusei smiled and wrapped her arms around him and calmly stood there, looking out the window at the darkened scenary. Jack returned the hug and held her tightly. She was his only friend in this world… He didn't want to lose her ever again…

"Jack, can I ask you something?" Yusei said as they separated.

He nodded in response, willing to answer her question.

"Am I…pretty?" She asked her eyes full of innocence and purity.

Jack was taken aback by her question. He guessed that she was tired of hearing what she wanted from Akiza, so she was turning to him for an honest answer.

"There's no lying Yusei," Jack said after a minute of silence.

"Really?" Yusei said and blinked. A smile came to her lips. "Well, thanks for listening to what I had to say, Jack."

"You're welcome," He said returning a softer, tired, smile.

"Good-night Jack," Yusei said as she started to make her way out of the room.

"Good-night Yusei," Jack said before she left the room.

A moment later, he took off his coat and belt and laid them on the floor next to the couch and then got comfortable with a pillow under his head and a blanket to cover him. A smile made its way to his lips. He felt like a new man.

"_A second chance…"_ His mind repeated as he looked up at the brightest star in the sky outside the window. _"To start anew…"_

_

* * *

A/N:_ Cute and fluffy, wasn't it? :3

I let Yusei have a moment to herself and Jack showed a softer side of him self. ^^

If this chapter doesn't seem to flow with the others, just let me know and I'll try to fix it,ok?

~AC2


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